Local dealership closed

[Diggin It]

Dealer needs to be able to support what they sell.

Which also means they shouldn't be forced to stock machines they can't sell or support. The smaller family owned dealers know their market because they been around for years (usually) and know what people local to them need. If they feel the smaller machines are better suited to their customer base, why should they be forced to stock large Ag machines?

 

[duffer]

We recently lost a Kubota dealer (1 of 2) down here in Aiken a couple of months ago. It was a smaller dealer. Did OK business, but not stellar. Unfortunately the dealer that should go out of business is still here. Worst run business I've ever seen. You have to beg them to get you a part, or show you a tractor you already want to buy. And everyone I talk to agrees it is a horrible dealership. They certainly missed out on my business, and my neighbor who had a Kubota, sold it and bought a Deere.

Based on some of the comments previously, it might be that Kubota is "re-organizing" their dealer base. When I was in corporate world, I saw it happen several times with different companies (just for the record, I didn't initiate it!) Sometimes its part of the cold hearted corporate mentality.

About a year ago, I lost my dealer. Right in the middle of ag country, (about 20 miles away) did good solid business. Company insisted he display an additional 20-25 tractors on his lot. He refused, they pulled the line. It happens.

 

[Diggin It]

About a year ago, I lost my dealer. Right in the middle of ag country, (about 20 miles away) did good solid business. Company insisted he display an additional 20-25 tractors on his lot. He refused, they pulled the line. It happens.

If they're still in business, or looking, send them a link to LS. Good machines that need good dealers.

 

[ccsial]

My Stihl dealer is very good for service and used to have many saws in stock. Then a few years ago Stihl told him he had to pay for the saws in advance. Now he stocks much less inventory and has to order saws.

We had a very competent JD dealer near here. They have excellent service. They were pulled by Deere and the dealer told me Deere wanted stores that had multiple locations. They became a Mahindra dealer but still have a lot of customers bring their Deere's in for service. They also restore the old ones and to an amazing job of it.

So corporate policies change and it can be good for some and bad for others.

 

[k0ua]

I have one rule about loaning my equipment. I go with it. I learned this the hard way.

good rule

 

[grsthegreat]

i just got back from having the front axle seals replaced on my DK45. the dealership is about 25 miles each direction. Just loaded it onto trailer and off i went. Then spent next 3 hours shopping at Cabelas, tractor supply and had a nice leisurely lunch. Personally i have several trailers, the 14,000 pound tilt bed, a 7,500 pound capacity dump trailer, a small box trailer and a 30' horse trailer. Just for fun i counted the number of tires i have on my property....from another post here online. 70 inflatable tires and 12 carriage wheels for wifes horse drawn carriages....yeiks. i must be nuts.

I will not, and have never loaned any of my heavy equipment out. I will offer to do the job for someone. For small equipment i make it a policy to get $100 cash deposit on any item i loan out. I tell them if i have to come get the item in a week or 2, i keep the deposit. For some reason everyone always brings the item back.I'm not being a jerk, my tools are my livelihood. I once loaned out my 28 foot extension ladder to a neighbor and 2 weeks later i needed it on a job and lo and behold...it wasnt on my truck.He never bothered bringing it back. thats when i made my deposit policy.

 

[ericm979]

Paying a small fee for the dealer to come get a tractor is far cheaper than buying and maintaining and registering a trailer. That's assuming that your tractor will even need to go to the dealer. If you do the service yourself it probably won't.

 

[grsthegreat]

Paying a small fee for the dealer to come get a tractor is far cheaper than buying and maintaining and registering a trailer. That's assuming that your tractor will even need to go to the dealer. If you do the service yourself it probably won't.

This is true. But i use my trailer for lots of other things. Right now its loaded down with concrete bags and 6x6 treated posts. Im replacing fence on 10 acres across the street. To each their own.

 

[ericm979]

I was going on the theory that if someone had a lot of use for a flatbed trailer they'd already have one. But if the prospect of towing your tractor a few times is what puts you over the line to where a trailer makes sense, by all means get one. I'd generally prefer to have the equipment instead of rent it but it's got to get enough use to make it worth owning.

 

[Captain Dirty]

This forum often decries the passing of "ma and pa" and other independent dealers that have personal relationships with their customers. For each that passes I'll wager another pops up, may be a flash in the pan or keeper depending upon how "good" they are. Here on the east coast the higher population density means there is a higher density of competent diesel/hydraulic/heavy equipment repairmen some of whom are looking for more work, more perceived freedom, etc. When the local dealership mobile repairman threw up his hands on a hydraulic problem saying I would have to pay $150 each way to have it hauled in to the shop for diagnosis, a friend of mine put me in touch with a mechanic for a local transit authority who was moonlighting and setting up his own shop. Without benefit of a parts or shop manual and primarily using my adjustable spud wrench he fixed the problem in the field in about an hour and at considerable savings (part of which I immediately spent on the parts and workshop manuals and an appropriate set of 75ｰ open end wrenches).

By word of mouth you may find a local with whom you can have a repair/maintainence relationship. Even if he charges $50.00 an hour, $75 if you watch, $100 if you help, you can quickly learn enough to do much of the work yourself. OTOH keep the relationship going (assuming he is good). You have to keep up your side of the relationship too. I would still recommend the perspective of a full service dealer for the several hundred hour tasks in case you and your independent mechanic have been overlooking something.

Captain Dirty

P.S. To the local dealership's credit they did not charge me for the service call they couldn't perform. Perhaps the fact they charge list price gives them that cushion.